Make Me Feel So Damn Unpretty
by roxystyle011
Summary: There's a reason Quinn's the way that she is. Lucy/Rachel Quinn/Rachel.


_I wish I could tie you up in my __shoes__. Make you feel unpretty, too.  
><em>

"You're doing it wrong!" the 10 year old stomps her foot and breaks out of the straight line that their coach put them in at the start of class.

"Rachel, what have we talked about? You need to give other girls a chance to learn the move in their own way."

"Well, this way is wrong. Move." Rachel nudges the brunette out of the way and takes her place in the center of the dance studio. Her smile is wide as she demonstrates the move with ease and urges the rest of the class to applaud her as she bows.

Rachel's a brat, and the worst kind. Everything she does is right, and everything she does is perfect. Sometimes the other girls talk about how annoying Rachel is when she shows off, but they've won almost every competition they've entered in and Rachel knows it so that's why she's allowed to show off without consequence.

The instructor glances at the clock on the back wall and notes the time before clapping her hands, "Okay girls, time's up. Practice what we learned today and try to do the full dance with the music. See you on Thursday."

The girls all squeal as they chatter about plans after their dance practice, what boys they saw earlier in the day, and how much fun they're going to have at their various sleepovers later.

It's the summer and it's supposed to be fun and exciting, but it's not.

Rachel walks over to where everyone keeps their bags and approaches the girl she nudged out of the way, "You should really practice that move and get it right so we have a shot at winning again this year. You almost made us lose last year." She turns away as she hears one of her fathers calling her name. Rachel doesn't get to have fun sleepovers with the girls on her dance team, she lives three towns away in Lima. She only travels because her fathers want the best for her.

"Hey bud, give me a few minutes, I just have to double check the class times for tomorrow and then we can go. How was practice today?"

Lucy Fabray looks up through her glasses at her old sister and tries to smile but it's hard for her, "Okay."

"I'll be right back, just hang tight."

Lucy's used to the drill. Her sister instructs a younger class further down the studio while her 10 year old team practices. She drives her there and back on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She loves dancing but she hates practices, for obvious reasons.

"How was dance today, sweet pea?"

Lucy turns her head, she recognizes his voice because he asks the same thing every Tuesday while Rachel puts on her shoes.

"Wonderful, as always, Daddy. _Some_ people are seriously lacking in the talent area but I'm working on it."

Lucy knows it's a dig at her because of the way Rachel says it. She grips her favorite Nancy Drew story and opens up to where her _Jesus loves you_ bookmark is placed. She loves reading because she loves getting lost in fantasy worlds. Anything can happen in books.

She squints her eyes as she hears each girl leave one by one, if she focuses hard enough on the words, she won't feel the stinging in her chest as each person leaves without saying goodbye.

"Sorry kiddo, ready?"

Lucy stands and shoulders her drawstring bag.

Her sister, Abigail, hands her a _Snickers_ bar, "Snagged this for you from the vending machine."

Her sister always knows how to make her feel better, somehow she just always knows when Lucy needs a pick-me-up. Or maybe, it's at the end of every dance practice.

Lucy gets in the front seat of her sister's car, still excited that she's old enough to ride in the front seat. The only time she really feels cool is when she's hanging out with her sister. Abigail lets her pick the songs on the radio and put her hand out the window as she hums along. Sometimes they even stop for ice cream.

"Don't worry about that girl, Luce."

"What girl?"

"Rachel."

Lucy stays quiet. She doesn't understand why Rachel had to choose _her_ town's dance team. Sometimes she likes to imagine that Rachel is just as big a loser as she makes Lucy feel every week. She smiles as her hand hits the cool night air, making it almost feel like Jell-O.

"I had a girl like that in my class every year, she thought she was the best."

"Was she?"

Abigail cracks a smile, "Yeah, but I never told her."

"Was she mean to you like Rachel is to me?"

"Rachel's mean to you?"

Lucy panics, "What?"

"Don't say _what_. You just said she was mean to you, is she?"

"No."

"So why'd you say it."

"I was just kidding."

"I'm going to talk to your Coach, that's not right. I don't like that."

"No! Abby, you can't."

Abigail sighs under her breath but stays quiet for the remainder of their drive home, only stopping to let Lucy get some ice cream from her favorite place.

* * *

><p><em>I was told I was beautiful, But what does that mean to you?<em>

"I don't understand! She's fat and she isn't a good dancer!" Rachel stomps her foot, "We always have to stop when her dumb glasses fall off. The only reason she's on our team is because her sister works here!"

"Rachel! That isn't nice at all, how would Lucy feel if she heard you saying such hateful things? We raised you better than this. I'm disappointed in you."

How _would_ Lucy feel if she overheard Rachel saying those things?

Someone could just ask her—not like anyone would—because she's hiding next to the vending machine as Rachel argues with her father. She nudges her brown framed glasses up, Rachel's right, they do fall a lot. Maybe Rachel's right about everything else, too. She's never wrong about things.

Lucy waits until the hallway is clear before she comes out. She's not sure what she's feeling but she hates herself. She feels like crying and she's in _no_ mood to practice for an entire hour.

Lucy walks up to her sister and tugs her arm, "I don't feel good, can you take me home?"

"I can't Luce, I have a class."

"_Please_."

The tone in her voice causes her sister to turn and look at her, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel good," her voice is wavering and it sounds almost like she's about to cry.

"Ask your coach if you can sit it out, tell her I said that you aren't feeling good but didn't want to miss the new dance steps."

Lucy nods, it's as good as she's going to get.

Her dance coach sympathizes and allows Lucy to sit out.

She pays attention to the class and notices how smoothly everything is running without her. Their coach is teaching them a new dance.

"Luce," she calls, "Remember, you'll bring up the caboose in this number."

Rachel snorts, "Lucy Caboosey. That's easy to remember."

The rest of the girls giggle, and even Lucy cracks a smile because it _is_ easy to remember. It's actually a harmless joke, and for once, she doesn't feel left out.

Until she gets to school the next day.

* * *

><p><em>Look into the mirror, who's inside there?<em> _Same old me again today._

Lucy sneaks into her sister's room while Abigail is in the shower to look at it. Her crown. Her sister won a big award, and though she's not sure exactly what it is, she just knows that she won a crown like the ones in her mom's room.

Her sister looked beautiful, like a goddess. Her powder blue dress, with her hair secured in a loose up-do, her skin glowing like the end of a Disney movie. She looked like Cinderella, and her date looked like Charming.

Lucy stayed up the entire night while her sister was at her Prom, thinking about how cool it would be to find her own Prince Charming to go to her prom with when she was old enough. Tall, cute, soft eyes, and a perfect gentleman. She watched _Cinderella_ while she waited for her sister to get home so she could tell her all about it. Hoping one day that she could experience what it would be like to be a princess, just for one day. If she had a fairy godmother, it could happen.

Abby's crown is beautiful, she's afraid to touch it, it's _that_ pretty. She's mesmerized by it and what it means. Her sister is the prettiest and most popular girl in their school, and this crown proves it.

"What are you doing in here, bud?"

Lucy's startled and turns around with a guilty look on her face as her sister walks further into the room.

"I just wanted to see your prize," she replies in a quiet voice.

Abigail chuckles, "It's nice, huh?"

Lucy nods her head up and down with wide eyes before fixing her glasses.

"You wanna try it on?"

Lucy feels like her heart might explode, would her sister really let her try it on?

"That's okay, it's only for princesses." She turns back around and looks at the crown sitting on top of her sister's desk.

She's so concentrated on it that she misses her sister's sad smile. The sad smile that she wears a lot around Lucy when she says things like that.

"Here," Abby says and comes up behind Lucy in front of the vanity mirror. "You are a princess, you can try it on."

"Really?"

"Of course, and one day you'll have one just like it."

Lucy can feel the weight of the crown on the top of her head, she sticks her arms out as if she's balancing herself. She looks at it in the mirror, her eyes refuse to let it out of her sight.

"But I'll never be as pretty as you are," Lucy doesn't even realize the words she's saying and their affect on her older sister's heart.

Abigail turns away from the mirror, the stinging in her eyes is getting too much for her to handle. She doesn't want to cry in front of her little sister. It's heartbreaking when Lucy talks about herself as if she's never going to be good enough.

"Hey, let me get dressed and I'll take you to the library so you can pick out some new books."

"Can we get ice cream, too?"

"Course, kiddo."

Abigail spares one last look in the mirror to see Lucy smiling as she models the crown on top of her head, it's the happiest she's ever seen her.

* * *

><p><em>My outsides look cool, My insides are blue.<em>

Lucy's not paying attention to where she's going because her eyes are trained on her book as she walks down the school hallway. She's getting to the good part, the unpopular girl is about to find out that it's the quarterback of the football team that's been leaving her love notes in her locker. Lucy, of course, figured it out after the 3rd chapter and she's barely been able to put the book down since she got it from the library the day before. She wishes she could discuss it with a friend, how romantic it would be to receive notes from a secret admirer, but there's no one to talk about it with.

It okay, though, Lucy probably wouldn't want to discuss the book with anyone else, she'd rather just keep it to herself. At least, that's what she says to make herself feel better.

She trips on something and falls forward, her glasses fly off and the school books in her arm scatter the hallway.

She looks up to find a few girls on the soccer team, "Sorry." She apologizes even though they tripped her.

The ringleader shivers, "Ew, I have Lucy Caboosey germs on me, gross."

One of her sidekicks bends down as Lucy feels around for her glasses before someone "accidentally" crushes them. She gets them on in time to see one of the girls picking up her book and holding it up for everyone to see.

"Is this your book?"

Lucy nods and sits on her knees, already knowing that this altercation isn't going to have a happy ending for her. They never do. And how convenient? There are no teachers in the hallway.

"What's it about?"

The girl seems generally interested and Lucy goes against her better judgment, jumping at the chance to tell someone how amazing the story is.

"Well, it's about a girl, who gets secret love letters from the quarterback!" her eyes are wide, knowing that it's a good enough summary to get someone hooked.

"And you think that by reading it, it will someday happen to you?"

Lucy bows her head, hoping that her disappointment isn't shown on her face.

She hears the sound of paper ripping and she looks up to find some of the pages of her book falling to the floor, "Woops."

The book drops to the floor and she nudges her brown glasses up as the girls snicker above her before kicking the book down the hallway a bit. She closes her eyes and fights down the urge to scream. She hates her life.

She starts gathering the ripped pages of the book and holds them to her chest so no one else can mess with them. She finally gets her books together and continues on to her class. Science.

She hates this class. Actually, she hates any class that makes her group up with other people for projects, she never has anyone to work with. She's normally the one walking up to the teacher and telling them that she doesn't have a group. The teacher forces a random group to let her in and the kids aren't shy about voicing their distaste.

"You're late, Lucy." The teacher tells her as she walks in.

"Sorry, Mrs. Beret." She replies and takes her seat in the back left corner.

The teacher stands from her chair and starts handing out a lab sheet which gives the instructions on how to properly dissect a frog. She knows she's already working alone.

After finishing her homework and having an afternoon snack, she gets the tape out of the cabinet and begins taping the book back together. She's going to get in trouble with the library and they'll probably make her pay to replace it and she knows that. She probably doesn't even need to tape it back together for that reason but she wants to know what happens.

She wants someone to get a happy ending, at least.

* * *

><p><em>Every time I think I'm through, It's because of you.<em>

Lucy's always in the wrong place at the right time. She overhears more than she's supposed to. It should bother her but it doesn't phase her anymore. It's nothing she hasn't heard before.

"You need to stop coddling her, Abigail. It's not helping."

"What am I supposed to do, Mom? It's not like you pay attention to her."

"That's enough, young lady!" her father roars.

"She's thirteen years old, she doesn't need you to be there with carbs every time she's upset," her mother continues.

"Do you even know what they call her at school? Lucy Caboosey."

"That's a harmless nickname that her friends call her. It's all in good fun."

"Wake up, already!"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"When's the last time you've seen her with a friend? Dropped her off at a sleepover?"

Lucy feels bad, she hates when her family fights because of her.

"And you think taking her out for ice cream every night is helping her situation?"

"Her _situation_?"

"Yes, her situation."

"So that's what you're calling it?"

"Do you have a better name for her problem?"

"There's nothing wrong with her! What happened to loving unconditionally?"

"Of course, I love her! She's my babygirl."

"The kids tease her enough as it is, don't you think she'd like to come home to a mother that doesn't make comments about every little thing she eats?"

"Well, maybe it will be good for her. She could use the motivation. She seems to be enjoying the gymnastics class we signed her up for."

Abby scoffs, "You're unbelievable."

"Your father is being considered for a promotion, if he gets transferred, the move will be a nice fresh start for her. She's on this new acne medication that's supposed to work wonders."

"Nice Mom, real nice."

"Well, what would you like me to do, Abigail? You'll be going back to college in two weeks. Are you going to come home every weekend to spend time with her? She'll need friends. All I'm asking is for you not to suggest taking her out to ice cream every time you feel bad for her."

"I can't even talk to you right now."

Lucy can hear her sister's footsteps in the hallway and scrambles off the top of the stairs before she can be seen. She quietly closes her bedroom door and slides down to the floor.

She hates herself. Now more than ever. Why can't she just be normal? Why can't she just have one friend? Why does she have to be such a disappointment to her family?

* * *

><p><em>I've tried different ways, But it's all the same. <em>

_At the end of the day, I have myself to blame._

Lucy steps up on her scale in the bathroom with her marble notebook, her 14th birthday was exactly one month prior. She's been weighing in every day, and writing down her weight next to her daily food log. She's not at her target weight yet, but she's getting there. She's determined. She's done hating herself, and her weight is the first place to start.

"Lucy! Come down here please!" she hears her mother yell from the bottom of the stairwell.

She smiles to herself when she sees that she's finally dropped another pound and scribbles down her new weight. She gets downstairs to find her mother and father smiling with a glass of wine in their hand.

"Lucy, come sit. Your father and I have some good news."

Lucy sits on the couch and watches as her father and mother share smiles back and forth.

"I got the job," Russell says and holds up the glass of wine.

Lucy's sure that she's dreaming for a second until her dad repeats his statement with more enthusiasm while her mother squeals. She jumps up and hugs her father.

"Really? We're moving?"

Judy nods, "We have a month."

Lucy smiles and hugs her father again, repeating _thank you_ over and over again.

* * *

><p><em>You can buy your hair if it won't grow,<br>You can fix your nose if he says so._

Quinn feels amazing. Her cheerleading coach _loves _her and she's never been in such good shape. She's healthy, she's fit, she's hot, and she has an entire new school waiting to be at her beck and call.

"Q!" the coach calls through her bullhorn. Quinn shares a look with two girls she met during the first week of Cheerios training over the summer and jogs over to the Varsity coach.

"Take a knee," the Coach instructs. Quinn complies and waits to hear what the coach wants with her. "I've had my eye on you. You're talented and you have potential. You don't take crap from people and I like that in young prospects. You remind me of myself when I was your age. I'm making you Captain of the Junior Varsity squad, and if you keep up the hard work. You'll be my head Cheerio by next year."

"Thank you, Coach. I won't let you down."

"School starts in a few days, don't go losing focus on boys and school work."

"I won't."

Quinn stands up after she's sure that it's okay to and jogs back over to her friends. She can't wait to call her sister and tell her the good news.

She showers in the locker room and looks at herself in the mirror, she can't believe how amazing it all feels to get what she wants. Her Mom is waiting for her in the parking lot.

She wants to tell her Mom but she wants her sister to be the first one to find out. Her sister was Dance _and_ Cheerleading Captain at her high school in Fairbrook.

"Abs!"

"Hey Luce, what's up?"

"It's Quinn." It's only the hundredth time she's had to remind her.

"Right, sorry. Still getting used to it. What's up?"

"I made captain!"

"What? Seriously?"

"Well, JV captain, but still. My coach said I had potential, I could be the head cheerleader by next year. Can you believe that?"

"That's incredible! I'm so proud of you! You put your mind to sometime and you accomplished it, how does it feel?"

"Amazing. If only those kids could see Lucy Caboosey now."

"There was nothing wrong with Lucy."

Quinn ponders it, "You're right, everything was wrong with her."

"Luce…"

"It's Quinn."

"Fine," Abigail sighs. "Proud of you, kiddo."

* * *

><p><em>You can buy all the <em>_make up__ that M.A.C. can make._

Quinn's first few weeks of school are something out of a fairytale she could have only dreamed about. People look at her, not in disgust, but in awe. They worship the very ground that she walks on with her sparkling white tennis shoes. She gives them the smile that they're all waiting for as she walks down the hall with her two closest friends. Santana and Brittany. They dominate the Freshman class, and it won't be long before they dominate the entire school.

Transferring to McKinley was the best thing that has ever happened to her. No. Changing her life was the best thing that's ever happened to her. Her parents aren't ashamed of her anymore, she has all the friends she could need, and she can get whatever she wants. And right now, she wants a nice up and coming Quarterback to make the journey with.

Finn Hudson. He's already the Quarterback for the JV team, and every time the cheerleaders get assigned a football player to make signs for, she _always_ makes sure that she's assigned to Finn. It's the easiest and quickest way to get what she wants. He's already staring at her with a dopey look on his face, it's kind of endearing.

Quinn stumbles backwards as if she's walked into an invisible brick wall. She definitely needs to get used to the cold cheerleader role because for a second she's about to kneel down and apologize to the brunette that fell backwards in the collision.

Santana puts her arm out to stop her, "Ew, gross. Don't touch her, she has diseases. Watch where you're going, Berry."

Quinn looks down at the girl as she gathers her books and cringes at the girl's wardrobe choice.

"My apologies. I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, well, maybe you should."

The brunette stands up and Quinn panics as the very bane of her existence stares at her. Quinn's positive that her life is over. It's only going to be a matter of time before Rachel tells everyone about Quinn's past, who she really is, and who she used to be. She can't believe that she's only been able to live the good life for a few short months and now it's all going to be over.

Quinn studies her, she hasn't seen Rachel in five years. She quit her dance team shortly after she overheard Rachel calling her fat to her dad. It was the same day that Lucy Caboosey was born. Just because she quit the dance team didn't mean that she didn't live with the torment every day at school. Especially when the other girls from her dance team started calling her that in the hallway. It spread like wildfire.

Rachel seems to not know who she is but that doesn't mean anything. If she remembers correctly, Rachel was a mean brat and she's probably scheming ways to hurt Quinn the most.

"Get out of here," Santana barks when Quinn doesn't say anything. That's why she's second in command.

Quinn turns and watches the brunette as she passes them by in a hurry.

"Who was that?" she asks.

How she's managed to go weeks without running into Rachel confuses her. Clearly she wasn't as popular as she used to claim in dance class.

"Rachel Berry," Santana shivers. "We went to middle school with her, she's a loser. And not even like a fun _Clueless_ type of project where you take a reject and make them popular. She's a hopeless freak."

Quinn studies Rachel as she ducks in and out of the crowd. Hating herself for feeling almost sorry for the girl that used to pretend she was someone that she wasn't.

Even if Quinn's doing it now.

* * *

><p><em>Never insecure until I met you, Now I'm being stupid.<em>

Quinn's job is almost too easy. Other people are doing it for her. Rachel is so alienated that she's not even on Quinn's radar.

Until she sees the brunette talking to her boyfriend one day in the hallway. Is today the day her world unravels? Will Rachel finally let spill the secret of Quinn Fabray's past? Was she even aware that they were in the same dance class for three years?

It seems as though Quinn is going to need to go undercover to ensure that it never happens. She'll join some dumb club in order to keep her new life intact. She'll get to dance again, and now she won't be swaying in the background like she'd often be in her old dance class. She can actually participate without feeling like everyone's judging her steps.

It still infuriates her when Rachel cuts in and tells the club that they're _doing it wrong_. She still wants to punch the brunette in the mouth every time she opens her mouth to speak.

She still goes home and cries every once in a while when it becomes too much. Phrases like, "Why can't you be more like Rachel?" echoing in her mind. Nothing is sacred anymore, not even her boyfriend. It's only a matter of time before Rachel swoops in and takes him from her. She can feel it.

"Say it again," Quinn whispers to Puckerman. The type of bad boy that she's always dreamed of wanting her.

"You're not fat."

Her insecurities eat her alive but no one would know it. Her face is cool and collected whenever anyone else is around. Her confidence unwavering.

But she's starting to unravel. She's heading for a downward spiral. She has no idea how she's let her life get so out of control. The pregnancy, her parents disowning her…it couldn't get any worse than that, could it?

"Who are you? I don't even recognize you at all."

_Of course_, Quinn thinks in her mind as she packs up whatever she can find in her room. He doesn't recognize her because he paid for her transformation. Lucy would never do something so careless and stupid, but then again, Lucy would have never gotten the chance. She doesn't know who to blame. Herself, mostly. Her parents for giving her this life that she so desperately wanted instead of loving her unconditionally. Rachel, for everything else.

She's basically homeless at 16, living with someone that she's been lying to, and feeling exactly the way she felt when she went to Belleville. People might as well start calling her Lucy again. No one moves out of her way in the hallway once word spreads about her pregnancy, no one cowers in the corner once she's stripped of her Cheerios position, and Rachel has the nerve to look her in the eye and ask her why _she's_ being so mean.

Quinn wants to scream. Quinn wants to scream because probably the only person that would understand her the most is the one person who made her this way in the first place. She can't let go of her grudge, she won't do it. It's the only thing that wakes her up in the morning. Knowing that it isn't her fault that she's this way.

* * *

><p><em>Why do I look to all these things? To keep you happy.<br>_

All Quinn has wanted since she was a little girl was to take home a tiara just like her sister's. Sadly, it's the only thing that will actually help her to believe that she's no longer Lucy Fabray. She wonders if her sister had to campaign to win prom queen or if it was just handed to her. She wishes the crown was just handed to her but she can't take the chance of not marketing herself, _especially _since her Prince Charming—she uses that term loosely—is so easily distracted.

Every time she turns around, he's in Rachel's radius. Whether he's listening to her god-awful original song ideas, or giving her some kind of life lesson that he pulls out of thin air, it's infuriating. All she asks is that he remains loyal until she gets that crown on her head and then he can do whatever he wants. Hell, he can marry Rachel Berry for all she cares right now, she just wants that damn crown. In a perfect world, she wouldn't have to try _so_ hard to maintain a relationship with him, and she wouldn't have to constantly compete with someone that's been making her life miserable since she was 7 years old.

Everyone thinks Quinn is the bad guy, if only they knew.

She decides to keep her friends close and Rachel Berry closer until she's sure that Finn isn't going anywhere. She stays up all night and comes up with the perfect plan, it will win them Regionals and she'll look like a temporary hero while Rachel does all the work.

It's almost too easy when Rachel once again suggests they sing original songs for Regionals. Quinn knows she's charming, and she knows that she still has enough leeway to convince the rest of the club that it's a good idea.

Her and Rachel will be writing a song together.

Quinn rings the doorbell and it opens a few seconds later to reveal one of Rachel's fathers.

"Come on in, Quinn. Rachel's in her bedroom."

"Thank you," Quinn steps inside and briefly takes in her surroundings.

"So, Rachel tells me that you two are writing a song together?"

"Yes sir," Quinn looks up at the man who is studying her closely. She hasn't seen him since her Lucy days at the dance studio and she looks different now but she doesn't like how he's staring.

"You look awfully familiar, how long have you and Rachel been friends?"

She bites back a snide comment and smiles, "Since joining glee."

It's not exactly a lie.

The man shakes his head as if to say he's probably delusional, "Right, of course. Well, her room is upstairs to the right and is pizza okay for dinner?"

"That's fine," Quinn nods and makes her way up the staircase and to Rachel's room.

She admires the picture frames hanging on the wall of the stairwell, mostly pictures of when Rachel was younger.

Quinn doesn't have that luxury in her own home. There's not a single picture of her before she was 15. It's like she didn't exist, and technically she didn't.

Rachel's sitting on her bed with papers all around her.

"Quinn, hello," she jumps off the bed and nervously plays with the pen in her hand. "Are you ready to get started?"

Quinn really doesn't know the first thing about song writing, she's just there to motivate Rachel into doing it.

They break for pizza an hour into their song writing seminar and wonder what types of songs the other glee members will be writing.

It's the first time that the two girls have hung out by themselves, ever. Neither really knows what to say outside of song ideas so as they eat their pizza, it's slightly uncomfortable as both look around the room and try to find something to talk about.

"I like your room," Quinn says after swallowing.

Rachel perks up, "Really?"

Quinn nods, "Very yellow."

"I picked it out when I was younger."

"Cool."

"Um, what color is your room?" Rachel asks, setting down her slice of pizza on the plate.

"Beige."

"Cool."

Quinn looks around some more, noticing a framed picture on one of her dressers that faintly looks like a picture that she recognizes but Rachel interrupts her thoughts.

"It was really nice of you to stick up for me today, you know, in glee. Do you really think I'm a talented song writer?"

Judging from what Finn has told her about _My Headband _and _Only Child_, Quinn is going to have to say no.

"I think you have a lot of potential, Rachel."

Rachel nods, "People keep telling me that."

"You just need to tap into that potential and you'll be fine."

"I appreciate you helping me," she smiles her thanks.

Quinn tries to hold back her bitterness, "I'd say we both have a lot to write about."

"No offense, Quinn, but it seems like you've been handed everything in life. What could you possibly have to write about? Aside from getting pregnant at such a young age."

"You'd be surprised."

"I guess everyone has their skeletons."

Quinn decides that it's a good time for a subject change, "You want to go to New York, right?"

"It's only my number one dream. Nationals is just the start."

"So you've never been?"

Rachel shakes her head sadly, "No."

"So how do you know that's what you really want?"

"Have you ever just wanted something so badly that the possibility of it not happening hurts to think about sometimes?"

Quinn can relate, "I guess."

"That's New York for me.

"This glee stuff, it means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Everything else on my résumé is only there for that purpose, to be on my résumé. With glee, it's more than that. It's what I want to do with my life. Sure, sometimes I get distracted and lose sight of what's important but everything I've done has truly been out of the goodness of my heart."

She laughs, "You're talking about sending Sunshine to that crackhouse?"

"Oddly, yes, even that. I believed what I was doing was right."

"Even if now she'll probably be our competition at Nationals?"

"I can't take back everything I've ever done, Quinn. Trust me, there's a lot of things I would take back."

Quinn sits up a bit, "Oh really? Like what?"

Rachel bites her lip and Quinn notices her eyes shift towards the same picture that she thought she recognized earlier. Quinn follows her gaze but Rachel interrupts her again, "Just some stuff, not really my finest hours as a pre-adolescent."

Quinn nods thoughtfully, "We all have our skeletons, right?"

Rachel gives her a half smile, "Do you want more pizza?"

"Um, sure."

Quinn moves to get up to follow Rachel but she takes her plate instead, "I'll get it."

"Okay."

Once Quinn is sure that Rachel is on her way down the stairs, she jumps up and studies the picture in the frame on the dresser. As she suspected, it's a picture of their dance team when they were younger. And there's Lucy Fabray, standing in the back with a close-lipped smile while Rachel Berry sits dead center with a big smile on her face. She's almost positive that the picture was taken just at the start of the last year Lucy was on the team. It strikes Quinn as odd, considering Rachel was still on the team a few years after that. Why would she keep _that_ picture?

Why would she have a picture of their dance team at all? Quinn sets it back down exactly how she found it and studies it some more. It makes sense to her now, why Rachel would have this picture, it's so she can have the memory of being the most popular girl in something.

She's been standing in front of the dresser for too long and Rachel catches her in that position when she walks back in with their pizza.

"Sorry," Quinn apologizes as Rachel comes up next to her.

She's handed her plate and she takes a bite of pizza while Rachel picks up the frame to study the picture.

"The skeletons," Rachel comments.

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't the nicest little kid on the block."

"Didn't play well with others?"

Rachel sets the frame down and walks back over to the bed, "Ready to get back to work?"

Quinn stares at the picture a second longer before she joins Rachel on the bed. Not entirely ignoring the fact that Rachel almost sounds remorseful, but not entirely ready to believe it either.

* * *

><p><em>Maybe get rid of you and then I'll get back to me.<em>

Quinn can already tell by Rachel's stomping that she's coming to confront her about something. She's been leisurely playing the piano while waiting for Rachel to arrive to their song writing session in the auditorium.

They're not exactly friends but she no longer feels the need to lie to the brunette. So when Rachel bluntly asks her if she and Finn are dating, she doesn't lie.

It's not even about telling her the truth so that Rachel will feel bad about herself, she's actually telling her the truth in a roundabout way of protecting her. She was sitting across from her a few short days ago as Rachel told her how much New York meant to her. Finn is only going to hold her back. Like Rachel said, Nationals in New York is the first step. She isn't going to allow Rachel to get distracted by him during such a pivotal time, they need to focus on winning Regionals, and Rachel's doesn't realize just how crucial she is to the entire process. Rachel rarely looks at the big picture, Quinn's doing it for her.

"You don't belong here, Rachel."

When she thought of the plan to somehow get Rachel to tap into her song writing potential, she knew that she'd have to play the part of the evil cheerleader that would cut her down so she could build herself back up but she never imagined _actually _getting emotional about it while it was happening. Everything she's telling Rachel is one hundred percent true and Quinn realizes it for the first time.

Finn doesn't deserve someone like Rachel.

And besides, she still needs Finn to be her Prince Charming at Prom.

* * *

><p><em>But if you can't look inside you…<em>

"S-so what's it like? Looking like you look?"

The question throws her off guard as she sits with Rachel in the plastic surgeon's lobby. All she knows is that it's a hell of a lot better than looking fat and ugly. She can still remember how people treated or looked at her when her name was Lucy, and now that she's Quinn, she's treated like a goddess in comparison.

Rachel doesn't know about Quinn's past, though. And as much as she'd like to tell her the truth, she can't.

"I pretty much have a warped sense of the world. Being a hot seventeen year old, you can get away with or do anything you want so I've kinda always assumed that people are always nice and accommodating."

Rachel gives her a small, semi smile and before she can say anything else, the doctor interrupts them.

Quinn's not sure why she's allowing Rachel to consider getting a nose job, especially because she doesn't really need one but Quinn has been there before and she knows what it's like to want something so bad. It's flattering that Rachel wants to be more like Quinn but at the same time, it's making her feel guilty for ever going through with it in the first place. Rachel believes that Quinn has always looked like this, and that also makes her feel guilty.

The t-shirt idea of Miss Pillsbury's is bothering her. She has no idea what she's going to write on the front of it, especially because everyone believes she's always been perfect.

If she could, she'd write _UGLY_ in big, bold, black letters.

The glee lesson of the week is acceptance, and somehow she's spent almost all of her time with the one person that she's always subconsciously craved acceptance from. It's ironic how things play out that way, and it's not lost on Quinn that she's helping Rachel do the opposite of accept herself. She's aiding Rachel to change herself when in reality, there's really nothing she should be changing.

It's only after the two of them sing their song for the week's lesson that Quinn feels like she's being punched in the stomach by reality.

Rachel's kind of perfect the way she is.

Quinn doesn't want her to change a thing.

* * *

><p><em>Be in the position to make me feel so damn unpretty.<em>

It's the worst day of Quinn's life. Better make that the worst day of Quinn _and _Lucy's life because the secret is out and people are laughing at her as she desperately tries to run away from her problems. She could kill Lauren Zizes, first she decides to run for Prom queen and now she has Lucy's 8th grade yearbook picture papering the hallways. As far as Quinn is concerned, Lucy's been dead for three years. She buried her when she moved from Fairbrook so _why_ is she seeing that sad little girl everywhere she looks?

She's never coming out of the bathroom, she'll stay there until sundown if she has to in order to avoid the laughs and looks. She can't even fully cry, she's too shocked to register what it means. People know. It's as simple as that. Why can't she feel anything?

It's not long before the door flies open to reveal a red faced brunette with her arms crossed. It was only a matter of time.

"You've known who I was this whole time, haven't you? You moved here to ruin my life! I can't believe you, Quinn Fabray!"

"Ruin _your_ life? No. Your life was ruined before I even got here. _You_ are the one that ruined my life."

"How did _I_ ruin your life?"

Quinn absolutely cannot believe that Rachel is attempting to defend herself.

"Um! Let's see, you made every single dance practice a nightmare for me, and you made me _hate _myself. You made up Lucy Caboosey!"

"I was 10 years old!" Rachel shrieks.

"Yeah well, I was 10 years old too and I had to deal with people calling me Lucy Caboosey for four years. Do you have any idea what that felt like?"

"Yeah, actually, I do. I didn't have friends either, Quinn," Rachel reminds her.

"So you picked on the one girl that was lower than you? Who, might I add, already felt like shit enough on her own, thank you very much."

"It doesn't change the fact that you lied to me about who you really are."

Quinn can feel herself about to explode, "I don't owe you anything! I don't have to explain anything, especially not to you."

"So you turn into a bully? Pick on the one that didn't know any better back then?"

"Don't try to belittle the situation, Rachel. You called me fat, you made fun of my glasses, and you deserved everything you got in return."

"Maybe I did!"

"And another thing—Wait, what?"

"I'm sorry! I hated myself after I found out you quit the team. I was treating you the way the girls at my school treated me. I had to travel 30 minutes twice a week _just_ to go someplace where people wouldn't know me so I could do what I loved. I know that I'm a brat, especially back then. I was better than everyone and I had to make sure people knew it. You never stood up to me so I kept doing it. I'm a horrible person, you can punch me in the face now," Rachel closes her eyes before opening one, "Just make it quick, and it's okay if you go for the nose, since I'm getting a new one anyway."

"You're apologizing to me?"

Rachel replies with her eyes still closed, "No. I'm apologizing to Lucy."

"Lucy is dead."

"I liked Lucy."

"You tormented her," Quinn scoffs.

"I know I shouldn't have to ask, but is this why you've always been so mean to me? Because you thought I was tormenting you?"

"Stop talking like I'm still that girl."

"Because deep down you _are _still that girl. All you did was change your appearance."

Quinn did a lot more than change her appearance but something else is bugging her.

"If you weren't tormenting her, what were you doing?"

"Besides being a brat?" Rachel thinks about it before settling on, "Helping you get better? Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"Thanking you? Are you out of your mind?"

"Maybe that's not the right term but look at you, Quinn, look at how beautiful you are. People like you."

"People like you, too."

"No. I'm tolerated. Mostly in small doses."

Quinn wants to argue and maybe tell her it isn't true but it is.

Rachel sighs, "Lucy."

Quinn looks up without anymore prodding, and not counting Lauren calling her that in the hallway, it's the first time she's actively responded to that name in three years.

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispers. "You are beautiful."

"Quinn's beautiful."

"No. _Lucy_ is beautiful." Quinn quirks an eyebrow. "And Quinn, of course, but Lucy, you were beautiful on the inside, too. You have no idea how much I've regretted the mean things that came out in dance practice. It was like a drug, girls were laughing with me instead of _at_ me."

"At my expense."

"I'm sorry, you have to know that. I know that you know what it feels like, to have that power over someone. You've had it over me since you moved here. How's that karma for ya?"

"I hated you so much."

"I deserved it. And I hated you, well, I hated Quinn in the beginning. But I understand, I understand why now and I don't blame you."

"It's kind of funny though," Rachel softly laughs.

"How is any of this funny? My life is over."

Rachel frowns momentarily, "Your life isn't over. And by the way, Photoshop is a reasonable explanation. Lauren was just trying to smear your campaign, politicians do it all the time. And it's not funny, but it's funny to me because all these years, I thought you…actually nevermind."

"What?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Tell me."

"It's just, I thought, well, I thought you had a crush on me and that's why you always picked on me but this reason makes _way_ more sense. Like, why would you have a crush on _me_…especially after our past together."

Quinn nervously laughs and hopes it's not too obvious, "That'd be crazy, right?"

Rachel laughs along and nods, "Quite. Although, if we're being honest here, I must say that the idea of the two of us, taking into account how we've always butted heads, getting into a heated argument over something only for one of us to break down and kiss the other one has been a scenario I've daydreamed about."

Quinn's mouth hangs open as Rachel continues to talk herself into a hole.

"And yes, there were a few times that I thought you were going to go in for the kill while we were arguing about something. I don't know why, I never considered our _conversations_ to be fights at all. No, I've always labeled them as passionate differences because I mean, let's face it, everything between the two of us has been nothing but passionate. I guess that's just how we are as people. Quinn? Are you okay? Are you even listening to me anymore? Why are you looking at me like—"

She's not sure whether it was Rachel's rambling confession or the fact that she can no longer take whatever has been bubbling inside of her since spending time with the brunette before Regionals but she can't stand in front of her for a moment longer without feeling Rachel's lips on hers. The feeling takes her by surprise, the untamable sensation of wanting something so badly that she needs to have it no matter what.

But this isn't a prom queen crown or a nose job, this is Rachel Berry.

She wants Rachel Berry.

The thought registers in her mind finally and it still takes her a few long seconds to pull away from the brunette before they both go down a path neither of them are ready for.

"This never happened," Quinn breathes out heavily as she holds Rachel's face close to hers by her cheek. Her thumb brushes her bottom lip as her eyes search the brunette's for signs that she understands what Quinn is saying.

Kissing Rachel has never been part of the plan but it made her feel damn good while it was happening.

Rachel surprises her by bringing her own hand up to cover Quinn's, it doesn't bother her that Rachel's keeping her hand in place, she really doesn't foresee a scenario in which she'd let herself step back. Rachel swallows thickly and nods slowly as she continues to stare at Quinn.

"If we say that every time, can it happen again?"

Quinn's lips betray her when she cracks a tiny smile. She's nodding and moving back into the girl before she can register just how big of an affect Rachel's words just had on her. Their lips meet again, slowly this time, and their movements fall in sync with one another as one ducks her head to get a better angle while the other pulls them closer. It's almost too easy, how perfectly they fit together, but neither of them can hear their thoughts over the hushed moans filling the girl's bathroom.

And just like that, the worst day of Quinn's life turns into one of the best.

* * *

><p><em>I feel pretty, Oh so pretty.<em>

There's a small knock on her door and Quinn turns around with a smile.

"You're late."

Rachel ducks her head as she shyly puts a piece of hair behind her ear, "Someone's impatient."

"I've barely seen you all day," Quinn reminds her as she crosses her bedroom and shuts the door behind Rachel before leaning in to give her a chaste kiss on her cheek, "Hi."

Rachel brings her hand up to Quinn's neck and pulls forward to meet their lips. Quinn smiles into the kiss as Rachel angles her head to deepen it, it's the only reason Quinn normally starts their nights off innocently because she loves when Rachel's the one to take control.

"Hi," Rachel replies when she pulls away and steps further into the room, leaving a slightly dazed Quinn near the door. "How was your day?"

"Uneventful, yours?"

"Same."

"Good, so are we done with small talk? Get naked already."

Rachel rolls her eyes and sits on the edge of the bed while Quinn smirks.

"I'm kidding."

"I know you are," Rachel scoots further back onto Quinn's bed and lies down on the pillow.

Quinn locks the door and turns the light off before hopping over Rachel and lying on the other side. She stretches her arm out and struggles with Rachel until the brunette finally cozies up to her side so they can settle in to watch TV together.

It's their Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday night routine. Except, on Friday they find a marathon and settle in for the long haul.

"I haven't seen this one." Rachel comments.

"You've seen every one. Do you want me to change it?" Quinn's already tossing the remote control somewhere on the bed because she knows it's Rachel's favorite show.

"No, I said, I _haven't_ seen this one."

Quinn cranes her neck and looks down at the brunette's smile, "You mean, we're going to be able to _solve the crime_ together?" she teases.

Rachel takes her crime shows quite seriously. Who knew?

"If you can keep up."

Quinn kisses her temple before pulling back and resting her head on the pillow. She's drawing innocent circles on Rachel's arm while Rachel drags her nails across the skin of Quinn's stomach under her t-shirt.

"Hey," Quinn turns and says during the commercial break. Rachel looks up and smiles with her eyes, "I missed you today."

Rachel leans up and gives Quinn a kiss, "I missed you, too."

Quinn elongates the kiss by giving Rachel short pecks on the lips and it causes them both to laugh before Rachel shoots back up, "Shh, it's back on."

Quinn's used to it and she settles back in while Rachel sits Indian style next to her so she can give the show her undivided attention. Quinn sneaks her hand under her shirt so she can continue drawing lazy designs on Rachel's lower back and every once in a while she smiles when she can feel Rachel shiver.

"Hey," Quinn calls and waits for Rachel to give her the standard nod while her eyes remain glued to the TV. "You're adorable."

This time, Rachel fully turns back around to face her with a curious smile on her lips, wondering where the compliment came from. Quinn shrugs and tugs on her shirt until Rachel's lying on top of her.

"The show isn't over yet," Rachel says as she's already leaning in to capture Quinn's lips.

"You already know who the killer is," the blonde teases.

Quinn can feel Rachel smiling against her, "It's the neighbor. I'm so good at solving crimes."

"Okay, solve this for me…why is it that I like you _so_ much?"

"Are you insinuating that liking me is a crime?"

Quinn continues to focus on the feel of Rachel's lips and doesn't really think as she opens her mouth to speak, "If liking you is a crime then lock me away forever."

Rachel sits up and laughs loudly in her face, "Oh my god, that was _so_ corny!"

"Shut up!"

"I'm embarrassed for you."

"I'm going to kill you."

Rachel continues to laugh, "No. I'm serious, you need to work on your lines."

"Stop distracting me with your tongue and I won't say stupid things."

Rachel sits up so she can straddle Quinn's waist, "Okay."

"Wait, what?"

Rachel shrugs with a teasing smirk, "I'll stop distracting you with my tongue."

"No, wait. I didn't mean that."

Rachel reaches down to start tickling Quinn's sides once she realizes that she's in the prime position to make the blonde squirm but she's saved by two separate sounding chimes coming from opposite sides of the room.

Rachel rolls off of Quinn and reaches for her cell phone on the night stand while the blonde hops off the bed and finds her cell phone sitting on her desk.

Quinn pulls on her bangs in frustration before looking to Rachel, "One guess as to who it is."

Rachel sighs as well before flipping her phone open to reveal a text message from Finn, "Hey, what are you doing?" Rachel reads out loud as Quinn reads the same thing silently.

"You realize this is the fifth time he's texted us the exact same thing at the exact same time in two weeks."

"I know," Rachel replies. "What are we doing?"

"Well, the fact that he's texting his ex-girlfriend the same thing he's texting his current girlfriend should clue us in that morals aren't really something to discuss when it comes to the three of us."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're cheating on him…with his ex-girlfriend," she adds.

"It's not like he even loves me, and I certainly don't love him."

Rachel's laugh is hollow, "And you love me?"

Quinn's heart speeds up and she hopes it's not noticeable on her face. She tosses her phone on her desk, "You know I care about you more than I ever did him."

"It's still wrong, what we're doing."

Quinn winces when she hears the word wrong. But Quinn knows that everything about the situation is wrong. The fact that Rachel is okay with Quinn's motives, and that she basically suggested that her and Finn stay together in order for Quinn to win prom queen, is weird enough. Quinn suspects that it's her way of making up for how she treated Lucy but it's still not lost on her how _wrong_ everything is.

Rachel corrects herself anyway, "I just mean, sneaking behind his back is wrong. I know you need him to win Prom queen."

Quinn cuts in right away to assure her, "And after that, I'm breaking up with him, then he'll be your problem because we both know he's going to run right back into your arms."

The bitterness is there because they both know it's true.

Rachel stands from the bed and slowly walks over to Quinn as she leans against her desk, "The only thing in my arms will be you."

Quinn smiles softly and rests her hands on Rachel's hips, "I know using him makes me a horrible person, but he's my best shot at winning, and I _need_ this crown."

"I know," Rachel whispers, "I know you do. Prom is next Friday, and you'll have your crown. Nothing's going to get in your way.

Quinn leans in and kisses her forehead, "You're amazing."

"I know."

"I mean it, you being okay with all of this, sneaking around and stuff."

"I get _you_ out of it."

That's what Quinn also tells herself.

* * *

><p><em>I feel pretty and witty and bright.<em>

Quinn sits in front of her mirror and tries on her sister's crown hopefully for the last time. When she gets home, she'll have her own crown to add to the collection. Her blonde hair is secured in a loose up-do with her bangs gently swept to the side. Her powder blue dress mirrors that of the _Cinderella _dress she's always dreamed of wearing on this day. Her makeup is light, accenting her eyes, taking into consideration the spot light that will be shining on her during the King & Queen dance. The doorbell rings and she takes her time walking down the steps to meet Finn, who really does look like a prince from a Disney movie.

Her corsage matches her eyes perfectly, and she suspects that a certain brunette had something to do with it, and it makes it all the more special. She'll feel Rachel on her wrist all night long.

The prom is fun but Quinn has nervous butterflies in her stomach that won't go away. They heighten as Figgins takes the stage to announce the king and queen, especially because if she wins, her date won't be there to share the dance with her.

"And now the 2011 McKinley High Junior prom queen, with an overwhelming number of write-in votes is…"

Quinn's heart is thudding in her ears as Figgins pauses for what feels like a million years. Everything she's worked for has come down to this. Her mind replays all the times that Lucy was picked on as a child, all the times that she was called Lucy Caboosey, and all the times she snuck into her sister's room to try on her crown. It all boils down to a few long seconds of silence, and then, "Kurt Hummel."

Her world comes crashing down.

"Quinn, you need to calm down."

Quinn spins around on the brunette once they get into the bathroom.

"This is your fault. Nobody ever would have voted for me 'cause they know he would rather be with you!"

"That's not true—"

It happens before she can stop herself, the rage building up in her body takes a hold of her and begs her to release it somehow. She knows damn well that it's not Rachel's fault she lost but when something she's been working towards practically her entire life falls apart, she blames the person that she's always blamed when something's gone wrong.

Her palm stings and it's then that she realizes that she's slapped Rachel, someone that she's grown to deeply care for. She can't believe it. She can't believe that she let her emotions get so out of control that she'd hit another person, let alone Rachel.

Her eyes are wide as Rachel turns to look at her with her hands covering her cheek, "I'm _so _sorry," she whispers but doubts it will be enough. Rachel probably won't speak to her ever again. In the moment, she's not sure which feels worse, losing the crown or losing Rachel.

Quinn covers her mouth with her hand, "Oh my god, Rachel, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—I'm so sorry." She repeats.

Rachel takes a few deep breaths and turns to see if there's any damage to her face in the mirror. Quinn feels horrible because Rachel is right, nothing Quinn accused her of is true. She lost because of a write-in joke on Kurt Hummel and she wouldn't have been able to compete against that. She just wanted that crown so bad that she lost sight of the things around her.

"Most girls would be upset about being slapped in the face but I happen to appreciate the drama of it."

Quinn takes the wet paper towel that Rachel offers her and dabs the makeup under her eyes before it runs.

"You're a very pretty girl, Quinn, prettiest girl I've ever met, but," Rachel starts and Quinn feels the nagging in the back of her mind to once again remind her that she hasn't always looked like this. Rachel senses it but continues, "You're a lot more than that."

Quinn feels the tears starting up again and fights to hold them back. For some reason, as many times as she's been called pretty, it only means something to her when Rachel says it.

"Here," Rachel reaches and gently takes the paper towel out of her hand, "Can I help?"

Quinn nods and exhales deeply, "I just got so caught up in this stupid prom queen thing. Lucy never would have even had a chance, I thought, by winning, I'd be giving her what she's always wanted."

Rachel softly laughs, "A magical night with prince charming?"

"Acceptance. I don't know, it was stupid."

"Hey, not at all."

Quinn pulls away a bit and walks over to the far wall of the bathroom and slides down until she's sitting on the floor. Rachel tosses the paper towel in the trashcan and joins her.

"I used to hate you," Rachel says.

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

The brunette continues, "Before I started to get to know you, and the past few weeks, you've been opening up to me a lot about your past."

"Because you're the only one that knew me back then."

"I know, and I'm glad that I know both sides of you because I understand you. I understand why this was a big deal to you. Just like you understand why Nationals is so important to me. We get each other."

Quinn laughs at the irony, "Weirdly enough."

"So please believe me when I say that you don't need a crown to be accepted."

The blonde leans her head back against the wall and whines, "It would have just been nice to have it."

"I know, and I'm sure you'll be giving me a similar speech if we lose at Nationals this year."

Quinn laughs softly to herself, "There's always next year."

"Exactly, there's always next year."

"Now what?"

Rachel laughs, "Well, we're sitting on a gross bathroom floor in our dresses, and our dates were kicked out."

Quinn looks down at the ground and frowns.

Rachel stands up and offers her a hand, "We can go back out and dance with our friends?"

Quinn stands up and walks towards the door with her, "Hey," she softly tugs on Rachel's hand. "Thank you for the corsage."

"How'd you know?"

Quinn shrugs, "Just seemed like something you'd be behind."

"Beautiful corsage for a beautiful person," Rachel smiles before it turns into a smirk, "Lucy."

Quinn rolls her eyes and tugs harder on Rachel's hand until she can place a kiss on her cheek, "Thank you."

* * *

><p><em>And I pity any girl who isn't me tonight.<em>

**One year later. **

"Quinnie! Your friends are here!" her mother calls from the bottom of the stairs. Quinn checks her makeup in the mirror one last time before she stands up and surveys herself. Last year's prom wasn't her own. It was what she thought it should be. The Cinderella dress, loose up-do, and charming date was reminiscent of her older sister's prom. Quinn wants to do her own thing now, after coming to terms with the fact that she really has nothing to prove to anyone.

Quinn walks down her staircase in a pale green halter dress and smiles when she hears the catcalls.

"You lookin' fine girl," Mercedes chuckles, "Almost as fine as me."

Judy hustles back into the foyer with her camera and shuffles everyone out to the backyard so they can take group pictures in front of the garden.

"Where's Rachel?" Quinn asks to no one in particular.

"She was here a second ago," Kurt answers before guiding Blaine down the hallway.

The foyer empties out and Quinn's left checking a few of the rooms for the brunette before she feels a chill on her bare shoulder.

"You look beautiful," Rachel softly says.

Quinn turns around and smiles, "Where have you been?"

"Hiding."

"Why?"

"Well, I wanted to do this alone with you. We'll be with friends all night, and later everyone is coming back here to hang out."

"Do what?"

Rachel twirls around in her champagne colored dress, "Aren't you going to tell me I look stunning?"

Quinn smiles and leans forward to give her a kiss, "Simply breathtaking."

Rachel ducks her head and opens the pink box that holds Quinn's corsage, "Green, to match your pretty eyes."

Quinn admires it before attempting to walk into the dining room to retrieve the corsage she purchased for Rachel.

"Wait, I'm not done. You told me that you were wearing your hair down with a clip to pull back one side, and like the amazing girlfriend I am, I got this for you. I put the green bedazzles on myself," she says proudly.

She places the clip in Quinn's hand and the blonde studies it before she looks back to Rachel's shining eyes. It's a sterling silver clip in the shape of a small tiara.

"Put it in for me?" Quinn asks, already moving to take out the clip that's currently in her hair.

"You know, just in case. I wanted you to have a crown tonight."

Quinn teases, "You don't think I'll win?"

Rachel rolls her eyes, "I know you're going to win, I just wanted to give you one, anyway."

Rachel will turn out to be right, Quinn will finally get her very own crown.

But the one from Rachel will always mean more to her.

_I feel pretty. _


End file.
